My doctor put me on the 2 week pre op diet. I am on day 8, but cheated during dinner the first 5 days. I cheated by having a hamburger patty those nights and had a cheesesteak another night. I have been back on track and was still losing weight during that time. I am aware of what the pre op diet is for and have found different things to help with not eating. I just want to know if I will be okay since I’m back on track or should I reschedule?

Edited October 11, 20223 yr by aussiedoodlelover94

The primary goal of the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver so that the surgeon has a nice open operating field. If you are militantly compliant for the rest of your diet you should be fine. But you do risk having additional incisions if a liver retractor is required because the liver is still too large, or, if severe enough, the surgeon may have to reschedule if he determines he can't operate safely once he gets in there.

A better question would be are you sure you're mentally & emotionally ready for surgery if you're not able to be compliant on the pre-op diet? It may be helpful to have additional time to work on some better coping strategies and do some internal work to make sure you're fully prepared. Compliance is important not just for success but also for safety.

2 minutes ago, Sleeve_Me_Alone said:

The primary goal of the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver so that the surgeon has a nice open operating field. If you are militantly compliant for the rest of your diet you should be fine. But you do risk having additional incisions if a liver retractor is required because the liver is still too large, or, if severe enough, the surgeon may have to reschedule if he determines he can't operate safely once he gets in there.

A better question would be are you sure you're mentally & emotionally ready for surgery if you're not able to be compliant on the pre-op diet? It may be helpful to have additional time to work on some better coping strategies and do some internal work to make sure you're fully prepared. Compliance is important not just for success but also for safety.

Thank you. I’m aware of the goal of surgery and believe I’m mentally & emotionally ready. I’ve spoken with my family and found Things to keep me occupied, etc. which has kept me on track since. Do you still think i should reschedule or will I be okay?

7 minutes ago, aussiedoodlelover94 said:

Thank you. I’m aware of the goal of surgery and believe I’m mentally & emotionally ready. I’ve spoken with my family and found Things to keep me occupied, etc. which has kept me on track since. Do you still think i should reschedule or will I be okay?

The only one that can really answer that is your bariatric team. Don't hide the truth from them. Let them know what's going on and they will let you know what you need to do.

9 minutes ago, SpartanMaker said:

The only one that can really answer that is your bariatric team. Don't hide the truth from them. Let them know what's going on and they will let you know what you need to do.

Exactly this. Working with your team will always be your best bet.

I agree that your surgery will most likely still go on if you don’t cheat again but Only you know if you are really ready to comply with the post op diet at this point. If you aren’t certain maybe call now to set an appointment to speak with the bariatric therapist. They can help you determine if you should go through with this surgery now or if you need a little more time to get your mind prepared. This is not just because you want to be In the best place possible to maximize your weight loss but even more important because immediately post op you can Seriously hurt yourself from just one little cheat. Not trying to scare anyone, but you need to be fully prepared to adhere to the post op diet in order to recover safely. If you aren’t ready just yet, there is absolutely no shame In taking a little more time and working with the bariatric therapist on some coping strategies or whatever else you need to get fully prepared.

My doctor told us all that he knows everyone will probably have a cheat. But do our best. shrinking the liver is the goal... and it's for your safety to do that. Just make sure you try to be as strict as possible.